argumentation: (1) grammatical forms peculiar to early Hebrew indicate a date of composition sometime between the thirteenth and tenth centuries; (2) heavy indebtedness to Canaanite mythic tradition indicates composition in the earliest phase of Israel’s religious development during the premonarchial period, when Canaanite cultural influence was strongest; and (3) references to specific historical sites toward the south, such as Teman and Mt. Paran, evoke the traditional theme of Israel’s original